Years Later
by Sifu Blind Bandit
Summary: Four years ago, Aang defeated the Fire Lord and Princess Azula escaped. Now Toph is living with her parents and is very bored, lonely, and in need for adventure. Includes Tokka and a little Kataang. Please R&R.
1. Loneliness

Whoo new story! Hope you all like it.

Me: OK, now for the disclaimer. Hmm, now who should I pick?

Sokka: Pick me! Pick me!

Me: Alright, do the disclaimer.

Sokka: Sifu Blind Bandit does not own us or anything that is in the show of Avatar.

Me: Nice disclaimer.

Sokka: Thanks.

Me: You're welcome. Now on with the story!

* * *

I was bored and a little on the lonely side. Okay, I was really lonely and in need for adventure. Four years ago, Aang defeated the Fire Lord and Princess Azula escaped. Yeah, that 's exactly what the world needed, Azula escaping and causing chaos. Anyways, after that we all went our separate ways. Zuko stayed at the palace with Iroh to become Fire Lord. Then Aang, Katara, Sokka and I went to where I lived first. It was closer than the South Pole, which is where they went after I was dropped off. I remembered that day of bitter-sweet good bye's and reuniting with my parents.

_Flashback_

We were within sight of the Bei Fong estate. This is where we were going to part.

"I'll miss you Toph," said Katara with tears in her eyes.

"You too, Katara. Don't forget to write," I said. Katara and I hugged. Then I went to Aang.

"I'll visit you as often as I can," said Aang.

"You'd better," I said while punching him on the shoulder.

Finally, I walked up to Sokka.

"Like your sister, you'd better write to me," I said.

"Don't worry. I won't forget,"said Sokka.

Then he hugged me. It was a lot longer than Katara's hug. I blushed then he broke away.

"Good-bye everyone," I said, fighting back the urge to cry.

"Good-bye Toph," they said in unison.

They climbed up on Appa and flew off. I slowly made my way towards the house. My heart beat rapidly and I had that weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was nervous and I didn't really know why. It was probably because I wanted my parents to see me for who I really was and wasn't sure if they would. I was standing in front of the door. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. I could feel my mother's feet walking to the door to open it. She opened it and just stood there as if it took her a moment to realize it was me.

"Toph?" she asked.

"Yes Mom, it's me," I said

And without a word, she ran to me and hugged me.

"Um, Mom?" I asked.

"Yes Toph," she said after letting go of me.

"Can you promise not to treat me like I'm helpless," I said.

"As long as you promise me that you won't run away without telling us that you're leaving," she said

"I promise," I said.

Together we walked into the house. Before my Dad saw me, my Mom told him what I wanted them to promise me. After some struggle, he agreed and the rest of the evening I told them everything that had happened after I left.

_End of Flashback_

It was great for a while. My parents treated me like I was normal. I taught earthbending and went to Earth Rumble competitions. The first year I was at home, I got many letters from Sokka and Katara and Aang came to visit. It was the same way the next year and a half. Then for the next year and a half, I got almost no letters. It was sad really. I was getting lonely, I mean I had friends, but not like Aang, Sokka, and Katara were to me.

I was outside, practicing earthbending. Not that I really needed it, but I was bored. Thinking about my friends made me lack the concentration I needed to earthbend. I decided I would go to my room. Once there I lied on the bed and cried. I didn't like crying. Actually, I hated crying, but I couldn't help it. Then suddenly I heard a knock at the door.

"Enter," I said shakily.

A toddler of about three walked in. It was my brother. His name was Kamin.

"Why Toph crying?" asked Kamin.

"Oh, you wouldn't understand," I said.

My brother didn't understand, but he knew that I was upset. So, he walked up to me and wiped my tears away.

"Thanks Kamin," I said, "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Yes," he said happily.

I stood up and he took my finger. Then we walked out of the house to the garden. Once we were there, a man came up to me with a letter.

"It is addressed to Miss Toph Bei Fong," said the man as he handed me the letter.

* * *

Did you like? Love it? Hate it? Either way, I wish you'd review.

Sokka: Reviews are friends and so is food!

Me: Except when they are in Sokka's dreams.

Sokka: In my dream, food ate people.

Me: Now that is a scary thought. Sokka look! It's a mushroom that eats people!

Sokka: Where? Where? AHHHHHHHH!


	2. The Begining of Another Adventure

Thanks to my sister Serodezha, who is also my Beta Reader, for helping me with this chapter. I couldn't do it without her. Really, I couldn't. Okay, I'm changing a part of the story. Actually, I'm removing a part. It's the part where Toph hasn't gotten any letters for more than a year. I have no reason for that, so just pretend that I didn't write that. Now the disclaimer.

Me: Who wants to do it?

Iroh: I'll do it.

Me: Okay then.

Iroh: Sifu Blind Bandit does not own Avatar the Last Airbender or my Jasmine tea, but she does own Kamin.

Me: Nice disclaimer Iroh, now on with the story!

* * *

"I am Toph Bei Fong, would you read the letter to me?" I asked.

"Of course," he replied. Then he read,

_Dear Toph,_

_How are you? We, that is, Katara, Sokka, and Aang, are traveling together. And we were wondering if you would like to join us. It's for more than one reason, we'll tell you when we see you. Whether you decide to travel with us or not, please meet us tomorrow in front of Earth Rumble 6 at ten. We hope to see you there!_

_Sincerely,_

_The Gang_

The man handed me the letter and left. I couldn't believe I was going to see the gang again.

"Come on Kamin, let's go back inside the house," I suggested.

Once wecame through the door, we walked into the sitting room where my parents were.

"Mom? Dad?" I said casually.

"What is it dear?"

"You see, I got this letter from my friends and they asked if I could go on a trip with them," just like I thought, their heart beats quickened, "I shouldn't be gone as long as last time. Please let me go. I miss my friends and I really need to see them."

It was about a minute before they spoke.

"Well, as long as you don't stay away from home for too long, You may go," said my mother reluctantly.

"Thank you," I said calmly.

Then I quickly walked into my room. Once there, I couldn't contain joy, which was rare. I jumped up and down. Okay, I never jump up and down with joy. I was that happy. Then my brother came in with a sad look on his face. Not that I could see it, but the way he walked in told me how he felt.

"Toph leaving?" he asked.

"Yes, but I'll be back. I promise,"

"Can you play with me?" he asked sweetly.

Now normally, I don't play with my brother. But since I was leaving tomorrow, I thought I might as well.

"Alright," I said.

"Yes," he exclaimed.

So, for the rest of the day I played with my brother. Once the sun started to set, I started to packed. Not that I needed to pack much, just my meteorite bracelet and a few other essentials. The next day I said good-bye to my parents who were silently crying. Right as I was about to leave, Kamin ran out and gave me a hug.

"Don't forget to come back," he whispered.

"I won't forget Kamin." I replied, smiling.

I then headed towards Earth Rumble 6. It was a nice warm day, which fit my mood perfectly. It only took a few moments before I felt the gang's vibrations. I knew they hadn't seen me yet, so I decided to surprise them. I quickly lifted the earth underneath them, causing them to fly several feet into the air. Instantly they turned around to face their attacker. I couldn't help but laugh at their sloppy stances. The first one to recognize me was Katara.

"Toph!" she yelled happily then she ran and hugged me.

"It's good to see you Katara," I replied.

"Hey Toph," Aang greeted.

"Hi Aang," I said, punching his sholder.

I then heard Sokka muttering complaints about getting hurt from my earthbending.

"Well, thanks for saying hi, Sokka," I said sarcastically.

"Toph!" he yelled excitedly, "Have you gotten shorter?"

"No," I answered. I then walked up to him and gave him an extra hard punch, "I think you grew taller, much taller." Smiling I then asked, "So, where are we traveling to?"

"Just anywhere and everywhere," replied Aang, then he whispered, "We're also tracking Azula."

"Have you actually seen her yet?" I asked, more seriously.

"No," Aang answered.

"Can we go get some food now? I'm starved," complained Sokka.

"There's a nice restaurant just around the corner. We can go there," I suggested.

"Does it have meat?" asked Sokka hopefully.

I shook my head. Typical Sokka. "Yes, it has meat."

Together we walked to the restaurant. It was large, but with very few people in it. We sat at abooth with Sokka and I on one side and Aang and Katara on the other. Aang ordered a vegetable soup and salad. Katara ordered a steak-and-rice bowl, while Sokka and I ordered the meat special. We didn't have a very interesting conversation. Mostly it was about things we hadn't mentioned in our letters. Then I told them about my brother.

"You have a brother!" sputtered Sokka, choking on his food. I quickly started pounding him on the back until he stopped choking.

Then I went on, "Yes, I do. His name is Kamin and he's about three years old."

Anyways, that's how most of our conversation went. Until the subject went on Azula again.

"What was the other reason you wanted to see me?" I asked.

"Azula has been causing a lot of trouble," said Aang, " She's tried to assassinate Zuko, Mai, and Iroh several times. Cities and villages have been destroyed by her. She's gathered some firebenders and all the Dai Li. I think she is trying to build up an army and create war again. That's the other reason we came to see you, Toph. We need another person to help us defeat Azula. Are you in?"

"You know I am. I need another adventure."

"Good," Aang said, "There are some rumors saying that Azula is near Omashu."

"When do we set off?" I inquired.

"We'll leave tomorrow morning," answered Katara, "But for now, we'll chat and stay at our campsite."

Then we walked around the city some and traveled to our campsite, where Appa and Momo were waiting. Most of the time, we practiced our bending and Sokka practiced with his sword. When we finished, we ate a small meal and went to rest before our long adventure. I noticed that Aang and Katara placed their sleeping bags right next to each other.

I smiled and asked Sokka, "How long have they been doing that?"

"Since the day we started traveling again," he replied.

I smiled again, put up my earth tent near the group (but closer to Sokka than anyone else), crawled into it, and fell asleep.

* * *

Yay! Chapter two is done. Just to clear things up, Mai and Zuko have just recently gotten married. That's why Azula tried to assassinate her. The next chapter will have more Tokka in it and maybe some action. Thanks for reading. Please review!

Iroh: Reviews help encouragea writer to write more, and so does tea.


	3. Murky Circumstances

Yay! New chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. I'm sorry it took so long, Serodezha wasn't able to Beta read my story. So, I let Plot Bunnies Rule Beta read my story. Thanks Plot Bunnies Rule!

Me: Hmm, now who should do the disclaimer? How about you Zuko?

Zuko: NO!

Me: Okay, I think I'll just let Azula do it.

Zuko: Don't let her do it!

Azula: Sorry brother, but I get to do it.

Zuko: No you don't.

Azula: Yes I do.

Me: Uh, Katara. Help me out.

Katara: Okay. Sifu Blind Bandit does not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Azula and Zuko: NOOO!! start attacking Katara

Me: You three are acting like a bunch of children.

Now on with the story!

* * *

As usual, I woke up before anyone else. It was a calm, warm, and peaceful morning. The birds were singing and the plants were rustling in the gentle breeze, but other than that is was quiet. I walked away from the camp to sit by myself. With all this peace around me I should have felt the same way. The only thing that was taking away that peace was Sokka. He was the only thing that I could think about at the moment. I was debating on whether I still liked him or not, when Katara came and sat down next to me.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Katara.

I was about to ask how she knew I was thinking, but then realized I probably looked like I was thinking. My chin was resting on top of my hand and my legs were criss-crossed with my elbows on my knee. I thought that I might as well tell her, maybe she could help me.

"Sokka," I answered simply.

"You still have a crush on him, even after all these years?"

It was a rhetorical question, but I decided to answer anyways, "Yeah, I do, I wished I'd told him before we parted. Now I don't know what to do."

"I'll see what I can do without telling him. I think he still likes you, you know. He missed you like crazy, when we were at the South Pole. Sometimes, after we sent a letter he would become silent and moody until you sent a reply."

Suddenly, I felt Sokka and Aang standing within earshot of Katara and I. Sokka and Aang walked towards us, stretching and yawning. They were acting suspiciously as if they had heard our conversation. I almost commented on that, but I decided not to.

"Katara, could you start making breakfast I'm..." Sokka said.

Then I earthbended him ten feet into the air and he landed with a loud thud.

"Starved, yes Sokka I know," finished Katara trying to hide her laughter.

I let my laughter out causing Sokka to yell, "IT'S NOT THAT FUNNY!"

"Yeah it is," I smirked.

We all walked to the campsite to prepare breakfast with Sokka grumbling the whole way there. Afterwards, we packed up camp and took off.

After a while with hardly any talking Sokka said awkwardly, "I just noticed that you're still wearing your meteorite bracelet that I gave you."

"Yeah, and?" I encouraged, knowing he had more to say.

"Oh, nothing just, that was so long ago,"

"It was a long time ago," I said, irritable that he didn't turn the comment into a compliment.

* * *

Several days went by. We were all happy to be traveling like we did years ago. We talked more and traveled for hours each day. We were flying on Appa and laughing at something that Sokka said. When we got over the laughing fit, we went silent. There was silence around us too. Not a peaceful or awkward silence, but a gloomy and mysterious one.

"Why is it so quiet?" I asked.

"I think we're near the swamp," answered Sokka.

"Actually, we're above it," Aang said.

"How long until we pass over it?" I inquired.

"The rest of the day," Aang said.

I groaned. I wasn't going to be on solid ground for a while.

After flying over the swamp for more than four hours the wind started to pick up. It was sprinkling and I was starting to get chilled, when I heard thunder.

"Hey guys, I think a storm is coming in, a big one," said Sokka.

"Well, there's nothing we can do, were just going to have to fly through it," Aang said.

So, we continued to fly, but just like Sokka said the storm was a big one. The wind was blowing with great force and it was pouring rain. It was so bad that every time the rain hit my skin it stung. Aang was steering Appa, while Katara was trying to waterbend the water away from us. A strong gust of wind smashed into Appa which threw me off. I screamed as I fell and Sokka grabbed my hand and fell with me. I just knew that we were going to die, when suddenly we fell against a bunch of plants. Vines tangled all around me, twisting around my legs, arms, and stomach. I was upright and was still breathing hard when I noticed that Sokka was tangled with me. Coincidentally, he and I were stuck side by side.

"Toph, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good, I think we should just wait here for Aang, because I have no idea how far up we are,"

We said nothing for about ten minutes, than I heard a snapping sound.

"Uh oh," I said.

"Uh oh what?"

"As in I think the vines are..."

Before I could finish the vines snapped and we started falling towards the earth again. I screamed and as suddenly as we started falling we stopped. The vines had entangled us again, but now we were on top of each other. I was on the bottom and on my back, while Sokka was on top lying on his stomach. Our heads were very close to each other, I could tell because I could feel his breath. I blushed and guessed that he did the same.

"This is...awkward," Sokka stated.

"You think," I said exasperatedly, as I started blushing more.

"We are only feet away from the ground, maybe I can get us untangled."

He worked on untangling us for about twenty minutes until we were free. We fell to the ground with a thud with Sokka still on top of me.

"Get off! You're squishing me!" I yelled.

He quickly obeyed and helped me stand up. Since we were in a swamp, I was either standing on plants or in swampy water and couldn't see.

"Sokka, I can't see," I told him.

"Well, of course not, you're blind."

I punched him, hard, then said, "You know what I mean. Hold my arm, so I don't slip and fall."

He grabbed my arm and we walked and tried to find someplace dry to stop at. We walked through an area that was covered with waist deep water. I gripped Sokka's arm tighter, then suddenly I felt something grab on to my foot. I screamed as it pulled me under and dragged me. I tried to breath, but ended up swallowing water. My lungs screamed for air and I felt like I was going to pass out, when the creature let go and I was pulled up to the surface. I sputtered and coughed up water. Sokka was holding me with one arm under my knees and the other behind my back.

I wrapped my arms around him and asked, "Would you carry me the rest of the way?"

"Sure," he replied.

Sokka walked around for a while and finally found a large, empty and hollow tree, in which we had plenty of room to lie down. As we lay down, my teeth started chattering and I was shivering. Wordlessly, he came over and wrapped his arms around me to try and keep me warm. I smiled and blushed. Then I fell asleep, glad that of all the people I had to get stuck and lost with, I got lost with Sokka.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of Katara's voice, calling Sokka's and my name. His arms were still wrapped around me. So, I squirmed out of his grip and shook Sokka awake. We then exited the hollow tree.

"There they are," said Aang.

I heard Appa groan and feet running towards us. We all hugged each other, then Katara said, "We were so worried. How did you two...well, not get hurt?"

"Vines," was all Sokka said.

"What took you two so long to find us?" I asked.

There was a silence, then Katara answered, "You don't want to know."

I gave her a quizzical look and when she didn't say anymore, decided not to inquire further. Together we got on Appa with Sokka leading me and took off to escape the mysterious swamp.

* * *

Wow! That was a long, but fun chapter. Don't forget to review! Okay I'm creating a contest. Basically, you have to write an one-shot about what Katara and Aang did while they were in the swamp. The winner will receive an Avatar one-shot of their choice from Serodezha. She will write any genre and will write about the ships Kataang, Tokka, and Maiko. The due date is April 30th. Winner will be identified by no later than May 5th. Here are the rules for the contest.

It must be Kataang.

Rating must be T or under.

Anyways, PM me if you want to join.


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